My View of Life on the Dock
Gloucester restaurants readying creative outdoor spaces along the west end of Main Street downtown Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester restaurants readying creative outdoor spaces along the west end of Main Street downtown Gloucester, Massachusetts
For the little ones and young at heart, more and more windows in homes and shops are kindly decorated with stuffed animal teddy bears for a welcome and safe distance distraction. There are a few rainbows. Have I missed a street or your favorite?
Here are some of the bears we found on merry drives in Gloucester, Mass., this last week in March 2020, connecting during covid-19. (Click or pinch to enlarge)
Friends are sharing rainbows and heart family art projects from their windows and homes– messages of hope and gratitude for community and caregivers. Have you seen the Rainbow Connection Google Map in New York?
one more shared with GMG (from Arlington)
Around the table
Though Dog Bar and Landing are closed, you can find Michael O’Leary and friends on alternate Sundays at Jalapenos (only in America!) brought together by their love of traditional music beautifully played, sung and felt. They were at the Farm on St Patrick’s Day, and Lannon music sails.
GHS class of 2021 Jalapenos fundraiser February 4, 2019
Doors open at 4pm
photos: teens help the annual fundraiser run smoothly (click on photos to enlarge and see captions)
I don’t think that there are many individual YMCA or towns that could pull this fundraiser off so well. They don’t have Rick Doucette and the rest of the great staff in Gloucester or such a ridiculous abundance of local foodie establishments and culture. Here’s a list of Gloucester, Cape Ann and North Shore great eats and drinks establishments that participated this year:
1606 Restaurant, Beauport Hotel, Gloucester; Azorean Restaurant, Gloucester; Cake Ann, Gloucester; Cape Ann Brewing Company, Gloucester; Cape Ann Foodie Tours, Gloucester; Captain Carlos, Gloucester; Classic Cooks Catering, Gloucester; Feather & Wedge, Rockport; Ipswich Ale Brewery; Italiano Restaurant & Bar, Gloucester; Jalapeno’s Mexican Restaurant, Gloucester; Latitude 43, Gloucester; Liquor Locker Gloucester; Mile Marker One Gloucester; Mojo coffee Beverly Cape Ann Farmers Market; Mom’s Kitchen Gloucester; Passports Restaurant Gloucester; Pigeon Cove Ferments; Pigeon Cove Tavern & Emerson Inn By the Sea, Rockport; Riverwalk Brewing Company, Newburyport; Ryan & Wood Distilleries, Gloucester; Sea Glass Restaurant @ Castle Manor Inn, Gloucester; Seaport Grille, Gloucester; Stones Pub & Eatery, Gloucester; Sugar Magnolias, Gloucester; Virgilio’s Italian Bakery, Gloucester
Dazzling fine food, desserts and drinks were at every turn. Feather & Wedge, 1606 Restaurant, Mile Marker One, Classic Cooks, Azorean, Sea Glass Restaurant, and Sugar Mags served winning main dishes. To die for desserts and specialty drinks were abundant. Virgilios cannolis were gone fast!
photos: Great fun taking snapshots at all the booths. (Apologies to Liquor Locker! The only photo that didn’t come out.)
Sounds of Taste of Cape Ann thanks to fine musicians were John Jerome on guitar and vocals, and Steve Jerome on drums. Cameron sat in as a back up drummer.
Platinum Sponsors: Institution for Savings and Cruiseport Gloucester
Presenting Sponsors: Beauport Financial Services, Robert Stewart PC, Tom Davis CPA
plus all the participating restaurants, hotels, specialty food and liquor businesses, and local business support for all those gift basket raffles
Local businesses step up for local schools and organizations! Save the dates
The BAKE SALE at Market Basket is a fundraiser for O’Maley 8th graders annual special trip to Washington, DC. “This important fundraiser is to provide financial assistance to
those who need it most for the trip.” Items can be dropped off at O’Maley on October 27th or at Market Basket at 8:30 on October 28th. Contact Allison Cousins for more details or if you’d like to help out on Saturday, October 28th email Allison acousins@gloucesterschools.com. Donations and sponsors for the popular calendar raffle are also underway. Here’s a link to last year’s calendar if you’re interested in participating. You’ll recognize those generous sponsors!
Soccer players are raising money for the soccer banquet, gifts for senior players, and the soccer program. Raffle tickets are $10 each and each packet has 10 tickets. The prizes are listed on the tickets and are for sale through October 29. Winners will be announced at the fall banquet (date/time TBD)
JV2 has a soccer game at O’Maley today at 4pm. Varsity has a big game — Here’s their record “going into tomorrow night’s match vs Salem. Big game!!!!”
Save the date for Jalapeno’s Night fundraiser for O’Maley Academy on November
6th. Dine in or take out at Jalapeno’s and a portion of their proceeds goes to O’Maley Academy!
It was a really pretty night for last evening’s special events: the Schooner Festival Mayor’s Reception hosted at Maritime Gloucester and the Main Street Block Party.
Mayor Romeo Theken with Daisy Nell. Mayor Theken holds a new original Sam Parisi painted oar that would be auctioned off later for the Schooner Festival. I heard Senator Tarr but did not hear the results!
The connecting dock between Maritime Gloucester and Solomon Jacobs Park is awesome!
BLOCK PARTY
Stores on Main Street had the Schooner Festival spirit and even some special schooner “sales”.
And there was business at on trend Cape Ann Slime
Main Street Art and Antiques 124 Main St, Phone: (978) 281-1531
I was most delighted to see two Davids
Anita’s son David served in the Marine Corps and was killed in action on August 1, 2005. She and her husband, Greg, help returning veterans. They spoke about her son and some of the projects they’ve supported. Good Morning Gloucester readers may remember Anita’s joy in finding a Paul Frontiero “Art, Rocks!”, and donating a flag to the Boulevard. Anita’s mom was born in Gloucester in 1917; her Uncle was dear friends with Pauline Bresnahan’s father.
Adam Curcuru and the veterans office volunteers discussed projects that the Cape Ann Veterans Services is involved with. Stories were shared and a few tears. It was all very inspiring. We passed around a copy of the children’s book that is going to all the elementary school classes for Veterans Day. We spent time admiring the Welcome Home to Cape Ann Veterans Gift Packages, a program “designed to show Cape Ann’s appreciation for our returning veterans and let them know that Cape Ann supports them in this process of transitioning out of the military and back into our community.”
With or without the Gloucester family connections, I believe that Anita and Greg are so impressed by the Cape Ann Veterans Services that they would be delighted to work together anyhow. Learn more about David, and Anita and Greg’s projects http://www.sgtdavidcoullard.com. Mutts Mending Military is another organization they’ve supported. How nice that Cape Ann Veterans Services is included.
I learned that the 2016 Welcome Home to Cape Ann Veterans we left the light on for you Gift Packages were made possible by the Cape Ann Veterans Services, Gloucester MA Elks Lodge #892, and the Manchester Athletic Club, and that they are made extra homey special because they are stuffed with support information and gift certificates from so many local donors, businesses and organizations:
A Shade Down
Ace Hardware at Gloucester Crossing
Azorean Restaurant
Blue Marlin Grille
Brothers’ Brew Coffee Shop
Cape Ann Lanes
Cape Ann Whale Watch
Randy Korpi Carpenter
Celia’s Flower Studio
Destino’s Subs & Catering
Dunkin Donuts
Extreme Truck and Auto Repair
Flannagan’s
Gloucester High School
Gloucester High School art department
Gloucester House
Gold Coast Realty (North Shore’s)
Goodwin Party Shop
Jalapenos Mexican Restaurant
Jeff’s Variety & Deli
La Casa DeLuis
Linsky’s Service Station
Magnolia 525 Tavern
David and Jeana JMB Narkowitz
Ohana
Orlando & Associates
Our Lady of Good Voyage, Gloucester
Pauline’s Gifts
Gary Porter
Dr. Dana Powers Manchester
Dr. Michael Powers Gloucester
Tim and Lori Sandborn
Sebastians
Stone’s Pub & Eatery
Styles on Main Salon & Spa
Sunbanque Tanning
Virgilio’s Bakery
Nancy and Joe Virgilio
Dr. Robert Viventi
Yankee Fleet
Dancers from American Travelling Morrice perform twice August 13th- once at St. Peter’s (2:30pm) and later Harbor Loop (6:15pm). They’re on their 41st tour which you’ll read on as you wander; this poster I snapped was displayed at Jalapenos. I wonder who created the woodcut? I also wondered if multi-talented Rose Sheehan, Cape Ann Contra Dance, was involved. Yes. And her son Colin de la Barre (another name befitting a pursuit!) Gloucester Daily Times has the story.
You might fill your Aug. 13th dance card. Whether audience or participant, one could make it a daylong celebration of beauty, sport and nature. Not 41 years, but pretty darn close, the Celebrate the Clean Harbor Swimis 38 years young and scheduled earlier that morning. Reminds me: check the GMG calendar for options. Every weekend in Gloucester is like First Night. A few of the other special events planned for August 13: Cape Ann Museum has a walking tour and White Ellery contemporary installation. Cape Ann Community Cinema features two films. Gloucester Stage has a live theater show for kids in the morning and 2 shows for Songs For A New World (one is pay what you wish).
I bet you can reel off a few of the chart topping rock groups circa late 1970s. Who knew that there was a 1979 American folk dance held in St. Ann’s parish hall? The dances were started by Patricia and Norris Marston who hoped to build interest for regular square dances in Gloucester and perhaps raise funds to hire bands. One night Roger Whynott was a featured caller. On another evening it was Charlie Webster calling out folk, square and contra. – Gloucester Daily Times
Excited to welcome Noah Harrington, Derek Dupuis, & Shane Dähler to The New Swingset! Join us!
https://www.facebook.com/HenryAllenandtheNewSwingset/timeline
Office Space Over Jalapenos, Now for Lease, See Fred Newton from the GHS 1983 Class.
The second one sold out on the first day. Marketing and trying to stay current, here’s to a local employee’s initiative.
Kayleigh Bishop, bar manager for Jalapenos had a hunch Paint Nite would be a good fit for Sundays. She and a couple of friends enjoyed one in Boston. Why not here? She was right. “They have been a huge positive, selling out weeks ahead of time. They’re so much fun to work. And just to be there for it—just to witness!” For Jalapenos, at first it was mainly regulars. Gradually it began to bring different crowds of people, sometimes older, sometimes younger, some from other towns. It energizes the regular business. Jalapenos jumped in with the new programming January 2015. “People come in early, grab a seat. We’ve tried the back room and the bar area. The instructors are funny and personable, hands on.” The teacher, Quinn Ramini, Paint Nite artist, is a local; he grew up in Maine and now resides and works in Gloucester. He’s also a trained artist teaching this class a few times a week or month. “Gloucester has an incredibly vibrant history and colorful culture which makes Paint Nite a perfect match,” he says. “The vibe that the town exudes compliments the event…I love hosting events here!”
Jalapeno’s Bishop suggests arriving early to grab a seat and order some food before starting- “the paint area not enough room to eat where you paint.” Then sit down with drinks and music. “Everyone leaves with some fun.” Bishop likes Paint Nite’s community–someone from here– purpose.
Anything else? “Look for groupons!” Maybe they can arrange with UBER, too.
Paint Nite raised 13 million in another round of financing in February and celebrated its 3 year anniversary.
This is our first time playing here so please won’t you come out and join us for some margaritas and music this ones for all you out there that have asked for an early show, well here it is! See you Thursday!
A recent blog by Paul Lamere of Echo Nest (in Somerville, MA) claims to have analyzed listener data from music streaming services to determine the most “distinctive” artists by state. His method is very interesting, if a tad wonkish (see his explanation here). Essentially the most “distinctive” artist for Massachusetts is the artist that is very popular in MA, but NOT very popular in other states — and, based on Paul Lamere’s study, that artist is Neil Young, who is scheduled to unveil his new, studio-quality music service and device called Pono, at 5pm today at South by Southwest (more here).
Artists LOVE this new sound. Check out what they have to say in Neil Young’s Kickstarter campaign for Pono, here. Even if Pono is a flop, the mere fact that people who make music are finally talking about good quality sound in the digital age is a major breakthrough. Who knows where this revolution will lead, but you can say you were there (even if only via the Internet) when Neil Young Started it.
I guess we should all be proud to live in Massachusetts! Perhaps the boys can play a little Neil Young tonight at Jalapenos in his honor!
